As part of 2025 National Heritage Week a ‘walk and talk‘ event will take place here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, on Monday evening next, August 18th.
Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) officials will hold this event on the banks of the River Suir, initially commencing in front of “The Source” building, at 6:30pm sharp.
As part of this event, LAWPRO officials will explore the rivers history and its significance to the town of Thurles.
LAWPRO was set up in 2016 (Nine years ago) as a shared service on behalf of the 31 Local Authorities in Ireland. The Programme operates nationally out of 13 different Local Authority centres. LAWPRO is supposed to be driving public engagement, participation and consultation with communities and stakeholders at local level via its Communities Team; while delivering a programme of catchment assessment in priority areas for action via its Catchment Science Team and coordinating these activities across the relevant public sector via five Regional Operational Committees.
Pic: George Willoughby.
We are informed that LAWPRO scientists will discuss the water quality within the river Suir and carry out a ‘kick sample‘*.
* Kick Sampling; Scientists can examine the amount of macro-invertebrates by kick sampling. Macro-invertebrates are the small aquatic animals such as insect larva, snails, worms, beetles etc. all of which are excellent indicators of water quality.
Where a river is unpolluted these are to be found in abundance. Where a river has excessive amounts of nutrients and other pollutants, the numbers and types of macro-invertebrates are usually lower and many of the rare and sensitive species are therefore absent.
Thurles.Info has continuously, over the past twelve years, raised this same issue (first on November 7th, 2013, in relation to the River Suir).
In September 2024 we were informed, 11 years later, following a video posted on Thurles.Info, on August 17th last, that a biologist, Mr Fran Igoe, a spokesperson representing the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) has agreed that what is happening in Thurles and the river Suir is ‘shocking‘.
Mr Igoe (LAWPRO) one year ago stated that test results, now show that while one should expect to find a broad range of aquatic insects and bugs, he could only find two species in our town’s river.
One year on, (the above video first published on August 17th 2024) despite promises, nothing has changed.
Last September 2044, the public were informed that LAWPRO, alone, would be drawing up a plan of action which would involve input from all the relevant bodies within a 6 month time span to produce an agreed action plan. At that stage they would apply for funding to carry out all recommendations in this soon to be completed report.
One year on, as far as the public is concerned, – silence – nothing – except the cutting of reeds, twice this year already, latter destroying Mother Nature’s method of cleaning badly polluted water.
One must now assume that if only two species of aquatic insects and bugs reside here, then lack of funding must be the excuse for having to tolerate this deplorable state of our river.
If funding is the problem, where are our out of touch Tipperary elected TD’s namely Alan Kelly, Michael Lowry and Ryan O’Meara, latter two who enjoy offices within Thurles town and all three who enjoy speaking rights in Dáil Éireann.
Pic: George Willoughby.
All ages, including elected councillors and politicians are welcome to attend at this event and for those residents of Thurles, who, rightly, find themselves greatly offended by the current deplorable state of the river Suir, your attendance is a must at this event.
Well done George. No lies here but the absolute truth.
What comes first the BUGS or us HUMANS????????
Yes, it’s very depressing looking at the state of the Suir and in particular, as a focal point, right by the bridge in Thurles…..make no mistake, if I lived in Thurles I’d be at the said event….. good luck and thanks to LAWPRO and all of those who will try to make the river a cleaner and better environment……
I’ve been asking for a couple of years as to who is responsible for the clean up of the river and have been given so many different numbers; the council, the local fishing and anglers clubs, but even they don’t know or can agree as to who is responsible. Either way its scandalous the way the river has been let go, nobody can enjoy the river either walking along it or fishing it. All the way out to Lady’s Well it is overgrown, with overhanging trees and bushes, reeds and weeds clogging up the flow of the water and no doubt causing alot of the flooding issues over the past few years. Whoever is responsible needs to get their finger out and start doing something about it and soon.